Do you just take up space or make the world a better place?
On a friend's Facebook page was posted a statement that everyone does the best they can. Not sure I believe that. I find that people do the best they are WILLING to do. What if you see a need for change in yourself or in external circumstances and do nothing about it, thinking that someone else will clean up the mess? Is that doing your best?
I find myself falling into judgmental mode when I observe capable adults expecting others to "do their dishes" (literally or figuratively), having an entitled "me first" or "me only" attitude, pushing past others, treating the earth as if it is their ashtray and other people's right to breathe as secondary to their desire to smoke, harming people and/or animals, living for the moment, without considering the big picture, not being eco-conscious, justifying patterns of laziness, thinking that someone else will do their job for them.
My parents modeled volunteerism in the various communities in which they lived and into their 80s made a difference in the lives of all they touched. They believed in earning their keep on the planet and taught those values to my sister and me.
I am called to remember this quote:
"To those whom much is given, much is expected."
-- John F. Kennedy, Uncommon Wisdom of John F. Kennedy: A Portrait in His Own Words
Musical inspiration comes from the folk group called Brother Sun in their song "What Must Be Done."
Each of us has a calling to take inspired action to heal the wounds within ourselves and the fractured and fragmented places around us. Lately, I have been heartened by witnessing acts of kindness and love in the midst of all of the darkness that sometimes threatens to close in and overwhelm us. I have to believe that this inspiration exists in every human being, since we come from the Source of Love. I don't just believe in miracles. I live them. I am one. So are you.
How would you live if you knew that about yourself?
Are you willing to be all in and put your heart and soul into creating a more peaceful planet? It happens one thought at a time, one act of love at a time, one commitment at a time. Make the day you were born more than just a number on a calendar; let it be a celebration of the instant you began to make a difference.